Knowra Tree-ring dating Tree-ring dating Tree-ring dating uses annual growth-ring patterns to establish calendar dates and reconstruct past environmental conditions. Matching ring sequences across trees can extend chronologies far beyond the lifespan of any one tree.
Dendrochronology : The science of dating and studying annual growth rings in trees. Tree-ring dating is dendrochronology’s core method for assigning calendar years to wood.
Dendroarchaeology : The use of tree-ring analysis to date and study archaeological wood. Ring sequences can date buildings, artifacts, and other wooden remains.
A. E. Douglass : An American astronomer who founded modern dendrochronology through systematic tree-ring research. Douglass developed crossdating to investigate links between tree growth and solar activity.
False ring : A band of latewood-like cells formed within a single growing season, potentially resembling an annual boundary. False rings can mislead counts unless patterns are crossdated against other trees.
Crossdating : The comparison of ring-width patterns among trees or wood samples to identify matching calendar years. Matching distinctive sequences reveals missing or false rings and anchors samples in time.
Dendrogeomorphology : The use of tree rings to date and study landforms and geomorphic events. Growth disturbances can mark floods, landslides, avalanches, and other events.
Flagstaff, Arizona : A city in northern Arizona, United States, near extensive forests of ponderosa pine. Douglass’s early ring studies in the region helped establish the method.
Missing ring : An annual growth ring that is absent or too narrow to detect in a tree-ring sample. A missing year can shift every date in a sequence if crossdating fails.
Tree ring : A layer of wood formed during one growing season in many trees. Each annual ring supplies the growth measurement used to build a dated sequence.
Ice core : A cylinder of ice drilled from a glacier or ice sheet, preserving layered records of past conditions. Ice-core records provide an independent comparison for environmental histories inferred from rings.
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